Your Floors Can Affect Your Indoor Air Quality
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the air quality within our homes and offices is more polluted than the air outside.
Did you know that we spend an average of 90% of our time indoors? And even though summer (with pool parties, barbeques, and outdoor festivals) is fast approaching, we’ll still spend the majority of our time inside.
So, what’s making our indoor air so polluted?
- Combustion Pollutants: the gasses and particles that result from burning materials in space heaters, woodstoves, gas stoves, water heaters, dryers, and fireplaces. When these appliances are properly vented, pollution levels can be significantly lower, but most homes, particularly older homes, don’t have adequate ventilation.
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): these are found in household products like paint, varnish, cleaning supplies, building materials, furnishings, carpets, and a million other things found in an average home.
- Asthma and Allergy Triggers: things that make us sneeze like mold, dust, mites, pollen, secondhand smoke, and pet dander. All of these things can linger in textiles, carpets, pillows, and blankets.
What can you do to improve the indoor air quality of your home?
There are a number of simple things you can do to make sure your home is full of fresh air:
- Open your windows now and then; even a few minutes each day can be beneficial
- Clean and change the filters in your heater or furnace, air conditioner, air purifier, and vacuum on a regular basis
- Avoid synthetic air fresheners
- Decorate with live plants
- Groom your pets regularly
- Use eco-friendly, non-toxic cleaners
The flooring you choose, and how you take care of it, can have a big impact on your indoor air quality. When you’re ready for new floors in your home, choose low pile carpet, hardwoods, or ceramic tile (ceramic tile doesn’t emit any VOCs and can be installed with low-VOC adhesives). In addition:
- Buy a good vacuum with strong suction, rotating brushes, and a HEPA filter, which traps small particles and allergens that regular vacuums don’t
- Vacuum often, at least once a week
- Change your vacuum filter often
- Use a microfiber dust mop
When you’re ready to take charge of your indoor air quality, we can help. Our experienced team will help you find beautiful flooring for your home or office that fits your needs, style, and budget. Give us a call today.
|
|
|
|
|
Subscribe To Our Blog
|
Blog Categories
Blog
03/15/2019 - Lifestyle Is the Key Factor to
02/15/2019 - Beauflor Rigid Luxury Vinyl In
02/15/2019 - 4 Reasons to Choose Hardwood F
01/23/2019 - Timeless Design Everlasting Ov
01/18/2019 - Why Hardwood Flooring Is Good
12/21/2018 - Reasons to Opt for Laminate Fl
11/23/2018 - Cleaning protocol for your flo
10/19/2018 - New Flooring Trends You Might
09/21/2018 - Luxury Vinyl Loose Lay
08/31/2018 - Pet-Friendly Flooring Options
08/17/2018 - Thinking Of Changing the Floor
07/13/2018 - Advantages of Wood Flooring
06/15/2018 - Does Carpeted Floor Add Style
05/18/2018 - 4 Stylish Flooring Options to
04/17/2018 - Important Things to Consider W
03/21/2018 - Wooden Flooring: Maintenance B
02/16/2018 - All You Need To Know About Til
01/18/2018 - Flooring Can Make or Break You
12/01/2017 - The Benefits of Luxury Vinyl C
11/01/2017 - The Benefits of Laminate Floor
10/02/2017 - The Benefits of Rubber Sports
08/01/2017 - The Benefits of Engineered Har
06/05/2017 - Is Your Rug Destroying Your De
04/19/2017 - Popular Woods used in Solid Ha
03/14/2017 - Residential Flooring Trends
08/16/2016 - Care and Cleaning of Rubber Sp
07/23/2016 - Choosing Tile: Ceramic, Porcel
06/16/2016 - Caring for Hardwood Floors
05/17/2016 - Your Floors Can Affect Your In
03/15/2016 - Spring Showers and Protecting
02/11/2016 - A Brief History of the Red Car
12/17/2015 - A Brief History of the Red Car
11/18/2015 - Carpets and Rugs: What’s the D
10/12/2015 - Exceptional Kitchen Floors
09/18/2015 - Ideas for Decorating with Trad
08/04/2015 - Where to Start for a Neutral C
07/23/2015 - Top Choices of Durable Pet-Fri
06/10/2015 - Don’t Get Stuck on Basement Fl
05/14/2015 - Our Favorite Flooring Trends o
04/20/2015 - Some of Our Favorite “Green” F
New Flooring
07/01/2017 - How to Care for Your Brand New
03/10/2015 - Why You Shouldn’t Dismiss Lami
02/16/2015 - What You Didn’t Know About Eng
01/09/2015 - Colorful Wood Floor Options
12/12/2014 - Our Pick for Top Water-Resista
11/07/2014 - Preparing Your Floors for Wint
10/23/2014 - Why Carpet Can Be Beneficial t
08/13/2014 - Finding the Hardwood Floor Tha
|
|